Description

The Fw 190 A-5 is a rank III German fighter
with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB), 4.7 (RB), and 4.3 (SB). This fighter was introduced in Update 1.35.

Würger is the German nickname of this beast of a plane. It can be translated as slayer, choker, or strangler. In that regard fits the English designation well too: Butcher-bird

190s are fighters, and while this one can load additional payload, it will reduce the planes combat ability. Using it as a fighter-bomber is generally not advised, this would be the duty of the Fw 190 F-8 instead.

Rocking four 20 mm cannons, an armoured radial engine, armoured fuel tanks, and sometimes two artillery rockets, this aircraft is far from shy in the role of giving and taking. Anything at 12 o'clock is soon to be dead. The wing root mounted cannons should be additionally placed on a separate key for head-on attacks. The outer-wing guns would only miss on distances of 800-1,000 m (~0.7 miles). This also helps for tricky shots due to the fact that the second pair of 20 mm cannons only have 90 shots each, instead of the whopping 250 of the inner ones.

The rockets are an interesting piece of equipment. Developed from the 210 Nebelwerfer artillery system, they were originally used to break up B-17E formations by forcing the US pilots to evade them. The main goal of the rockets was not to destroy the bombers, instead, this tactic meant to separate the scattering bombers allowing the attacking aircraft the ability to safely get closer to their targets without the crossfire of coverage. The BR.21 has the same shell drop as the MK 108 cannon, so if you are already used to it from flying the 109, well done. If not, which wouldn't be a surprise as this is the page for the Fw 190, then prepare for some misses. Like the "Sledgehammer" Mk 108, the accuracy is woeful and is not made better by its low velocity. This is a characteristic noticeable in the game which makes them difficult to use in direct fighter to fighter engagements. But all of these deficits are made up by the warhead. Oh boy... they've got power. With the fuse timer set correctly, even misses will damage enemy planes, as the shock wave radius gets close to 100 m. So watch out when using them against ground units as there is a good chance you will likely just kill yourself in the process., Keeping over 100 m safety distance is strongly advised!

General info

Flight Performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Suspended armament

Usage in battles

The Fw 190 A-5, as all the planes in this line, is one of the best Boom and Zoomers in the game and should be flown exclusively in this style. The performance at high speeds is excellent, as is their dive and zoom characteristics. Do not ever engage in a turn fight as this will most likely end badly. Instead, fight only in the vertical. Try to have an altitude, or speed advantage over your opponents (by climbing to the side at the start of the battle and then enter the highest battle you see). But you can still win fights when you are lower in energy than your foe.

In the defensive, you can often just dive away from planes, such as Spitfires and La-5s, but you need to be at a decent altitude to gain your top speed, so do not be too quick to dive after an enemy, if they fly below your plane, unless you are higher then everybody else or alone. Just be sure to have the time to regain the lost altitude.

In a dive, due to its short wings, the Fw 190 can pull some stunts to either lose the hunter or even make him lose his own wings! This is a favourable strategy against La-5s, Yaks & Spitfires who have, due to their low wing loading (and partly wooden wings for the Russians), less resistance against high G manoeuvres. Again, be sure to regain your energy by a zoom-climb. Just look out while doing so, many pilots die as they do not notice a second enemy aircraft approaching. German proverb:Wenn Zwei sich streiten, freut sich der Dritte. ~ "When two quarrel, the third will reap the success." Of course, this could also be you.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements

Mixer

Pitch

Radiator

Supercharger

Turbocharger

Oil

Water

Type

Not controllable

ControllableNot auto controlled

Not controllableAuto control available

ControllableNot auto controlled

Combined

Not controllable2 gears

Not controllable

Modules

Tier

Flight performance

Survivability

Weaponry

I

Fuselage repair

Radiator

Offensive 7 mm

II

Compressor

Airframe

New 7 mm MGs

R6 modification

III

Wings repair

Engine

Offensive 20 mm

Offensive 20 mm

IV

Engine injection

Cover

New 20 mm cannons

New 20 mm cannons

Pros and cons

Pros:

Excellent firepower

Excellent roll rate

Very good bomber hunter

Anti-bomber rockets can obliterate enemy bombers and large aircraft when used correctly

Rockets can destroy medium tanks in RB

Well armoured from the front

Great at Boom & Zoom

Lots of 20 mm ammo

Performs very well in dives

Decent climb rate when upgraded

Features the highest amount of unlockable camouflage available in the German tech tree

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === Encyclopedia Info ===, also if applicable).

In-game description

A single-seat all-metal cantilever monoplane with a low wing.

An aircraft designed by the Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau GmbH design office under the direction of Kurt Tank. The designers intended to build a new easy-to-operate fighter with powerful weaponry and a durable structure. In contrast to the Bf.109, which sacrificed speed for operational qualities, the FW.190 was to become the Luftwaffe's "cavalry horse".

The first prototype FW.190V1 took its maiden flight on 1 June 1939. The aircraft went into series production in June 1941 and appeared on the Western Front in August.

In November 1942, the FW.190A-5 variation went into series production. This model differed from the A-4 series in that the forward section of its fuselage had been slightly enlarged. This measure significantly improved the fighter's responsiveness. The aircraft's design and equipment had changed slightly in other respects as well. It had been equipped with a new horizon indicator and an advanced oxygen system. The FuG25 identification friend or foe (IFF) repeater had become a standard part of the aircraft's radio equipment.

In the standard fighter variation, the FW.190A-5's guns consisted of two 7.92 mm synchronized Rheinmetall-Borsig MG17 machine guns in the fuselage above the engine with 1,000 rounds each and two 20 mm synchronized Mauser MG151/20 cannons in the wing root with 250 shells each. It was sometimes equipped with two 20 mm Ikaria/Oerlikon MG FF cannons with 90 shells each, mounted on the wing panels outside the propeller's radius.

An entire range of extra Umbausatze conversion kits were developed for the FW.190A-5, which were both built in series and used for the experimental development of various types of new equipment. The FW.190A-5/U14 variation was a torpedo-armed fighter capable of carrying the LT F5b torpedo. The FW.190A-5/U15 was tested with the planned Blohm und Voss BV246 bomb, and another variation, the FW.190A-5/R6, was tested with 280 mm W.Gr.28 rockets.

In total, assembly lines produced 1,752 FW.190A-5s between November 1942 and June 1943.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

* In 1944, the Germany Air Ministry changed new fighter aircraft designation to that of the chief designer. Kurt Tank was the chief designer at Focke-Wulf and later aircraft he designed were given the prefix of Ta.